When Department of Education inspectors swooped in at dawn yesterday to check school buses owned by Grandpa's Bus Co., it was supposed to be a surprise. But now the schools investigations commissioner is trying to find out how the company knew about the supposedly unannounced review at least a day before.
Late Tuesday, two anonymous callers who said they worked for Grandpa's told the Daily News about the next day's "surprise visit" by the Department of Education.
The callers said workers at the company yard in Queens had been alerted to the upcoming inspection for a week and were busy fixing up buses in anticipation of the visit.
Late yesterday, Department of Education officials said they had turned the matter over to Richard Condon, special commissioner for investigation for the New York City School District.
Condon declined to comment.
"This inspection was supposed to be unannounced," said David Cantor, spokesman for Chancellor Joel Klein. "You knew about it, and we don't know what else the bus company knew, so we're referring it to special commissioner."
Condon will try to find out whether a department employee tipped off Grandpa's to the inspection, a leak that would be a violation of school rules, officials said.
Two years ago, Condon blasted the Department of Education for giving bus companies advance warning of inspections, stating, "This gave the bus companies time to correct any deficiencies and hide violations."Read entire article...
